https://www.scmp.com/rss/325437/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Thierry Chow Yik-tung is not what anyone would consider a typical geomancer. Her edgy and fashionable approach makes her one of the most recognisable faces in the feng shui business. Chow’s journey started five years ago when she began to serve an apprenticeship under her father, Chow Hon-ming, a feng shui master with over 30 years of experience in Hong Kong. She followed her father around 24/7 for the first couple of years of her apprenticeship. “That was probably the hardest part, because I... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/2125262/feng-shui-meets-fashion-thierry-chows-contemporary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/2125262/feng-shui-meets-fashion-thierry-chows-contemporary?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Dec 2017 06:22:41 +0000 Amanda Lui may have been born with a silver spoon as the great-granddaughter of KMB’s founder. However, she has never taken anything for granted, and began her working career in junior roles in the family business as soon as she graduated from university. Her first job was in the company’s traffic department, where she spent most days on the streets of Yuen Long and Sha Tin, learning passengers’ needs, understanding their frustrations and improving bus schedules. Liu progressed to public... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2124783/her-prime-amanda-lui-says-time-one-her-best-assets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2124783/her-prime-amanda-lui-says-time-one-her-best-assets?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Dec 2017 04:00:30 +0000 Celebrating its third anniversary this year, the “Mercedes me” store in Central is an oasis surrounded by loud Lan Kwai Fong bars. Just steps from the nightlife district, the store acts as a quiet retreat in busy Central. Andreas Binder, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong, is enjoying its surroundings. He shares many qualities with the brand he represents: sophisticated, reliable and efficient – as the German he is. Hong Kong is the fifth region in which Binder has had a leading role... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2123758/mercedes-benz-hong-kong-ceo-andreas-binder-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2123758/mercedes-benz-hong-kong-ceo-andreas-binder-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2017 03:00:00 +0000 It’s 9am when my call reaches Caspar Fownes, but he is already been on the job for around five hours as he is pretty much every day of the week. Time, in the horse racing industry, is of the essence. It’s a sport where success can be decided in fractions of seconds and where hours, months and years can go into the breeding and preparation of a potential champion. “Wanting to train horses was always my passion,” Fownes says. “Horses were always there from a very young age. Going to the stables... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2123139/why-perfect-racehorse-may-be-luckiest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2123139/why-perfect-racehorse-may-be-luckiest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Dec 2017 08:17:30 +0000 Benjamin Quinlan is not your typical CEO of a strategy consulting firm. Having founded Quinlan & Associates two years ago with a focus on fintech, the 34-year-old son of a celebrated musician and former Hong Kong model complements his daytime occupation with a night vocation: stand-up comedy. ​ “There was a period in my work in Korea where I was overworked and took time off for a sabbatical,” he says. “During those seven months I drew up a bucket list … and one of the things at the top of my... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2122789/finance-and-stand-comedy-have-much-common-says-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2122789/finance-and-stand-comedy-have-much-common-says-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Dec 2017 08:15:45 +0000 When it comes to real estate, it is primarily about “location, location, location” – and so is timing. This could not be truer for Ophelia Chan, CEO at Infinia Capital Partners, a fund and asset management firm with a focus in property. Deciding to return to Hong Kong after years in Toronto, Chan’s greatest challenge came when a Chinese conglomerate approached her to help set up its first real estate private equity arm, with a mandate in mainland China. “It took almost six months to hire all... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2122427/location-location-and-timing-ophelia-chan-invests-her?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2122427/location-location-and-timing-ophelia-chan-invests-her?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Dec 2017 08:01:40 +0000 When it comes to real estate, the adage of “location, location, location” still speaks volumes. But so does timing. This couldn’t be truer for Ophelia Chan, CEO at Infinia Capital Partners, a fund and asset management firm with a focus in real estate. ​ Deciding to return to Hong Kong after years in Toronto, Chan’s greatest challenge came when a Chinese conglomerate approached her to help set up their first real estate private equity arm, with a mandate in China. “It took almost six months to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120689/taking-care-real?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120689/taking-care-real?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Dec 2017 02:03:59 +0000 The saying “time is gold” probably means something different to Guo Pei than to others. One of the Chinese couturier’s signature pieces, Da Jing (literally magnificent gold), which features gold threads and embroideries and featured at New York’s Metropolitan Museum, took 500 artisans about 50,000 hours to create. “For me, time is life,” Guo says. “It takes time to give life to my designs. I feel it’s a transmission for I think a fascinating part of my work is the time I invest in them.” Guo,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2121702/chinese-fashion-designer-guo-peis-golden-touch-gives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2121702/chinese-fashion-designer-guo-peis-golden-touch-gives?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Dec 2017 03:03:07 +0000 Elton Ng Chun Ting, who became the seventh Hongkonger to conquer Mount Everest (8,448 metres) in May, never wastes a minute. Even during the seven weeks that he was stuck at base camp – at an altitude of 5,334m – waiting for the weather to improve so he could begin the final ascent to Everest’s summit, he made sure he put his time to good use. While extreme weather let rip outside, Ng was able to finish the office work he had brought with him, and to complete the write-up of his latest book... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2121105/seventh-hongkonger-conquer-mount-everest-says-he-never?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2121105/seventh-hongkonger-conquer-mount-everest-says-he-never?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Dec 2017 07:30:30 +0000 In mid-August, a retrospective exhibition of the work of Hong Kong filmmaker Andrew Lau Wai-keung was held at the Dongguan Culture Centre in Guangdong. “When I look back [at] all the movies I’ve made, I [feel] really lucky,” says Lau, who has filmed, directed or produced over 100 movies. “In other places, a director might have [got] about four to five movies made in [as] many years; but Hong Kong directors [have been] so lucky; we could make whatever kinds of movies we wanted,” says the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2121970/why-andrew-lau-nowhere-near-retirement-even-after-100?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2121970/why-andrew-lau-nowhere-near-retirement-even-after-100?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Nov 2017 03:19:44 +0000 There are many sides to Jo Soo Tang. To the public, she is the co-chairman at the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation (HKAHF) and co-chair of the WOH Committee. In wider society circles, she is a philanthropist and devoted mother.  Though she had a privileged upbringing, Tang does not lean to the materialistic. This is part of the values she and her husband try to impress onto their young children and to “make sure they are learning in a way that is natural”. Tang adds: “Because we are in... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120687/why-jo-soo-tang-sees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120687/why-jo-soo-tang-sees?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Nov 2017 02:21:40 +0000 Alessandro Bisagni first learned about sustainability while attending a lecture on environmental philosophy at Hong Kong International School. It opened up a whole new world to Bisagni and led him to pursue a university degree in the same field. His focus was laser sharp. “I knew China was the future, so I took a job at an engineering firm in Shanghai that specialises in green buildings.” He soon realised that there was a gap in the market between design and construction, and, today, his company... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120682/alessandro-bisagni?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120682/alessandro-bisagni?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Nov 2017 02:00:30 +0000 Timing is of utmost importance in the launch of a new business. But when Pilar Morais and her family launched CHI International – a company which operates serviced apartments in Hong Kong – in the summer of 2008, it couldn’t have been at a worse time. The launch coincided with the outbreak of the global financial crisis followed by mass layoffs and budget cutbacks by financial institutions, the main client base for serviced apartments. Morais remembers the experience as the first of two of the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120671/hong-kong-serviced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120671/hong-kong-serviced?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Nov 2017 02:01:04 +0000 Simon Wong is the founder of STEAM International Kindergarten (STEAM-IS), the only educational institute in Hong Kong that is affiliated to Nasa. Wong comes from a family of horsemen and grew up around horses. “I often dream of being a jockey,” he says, “even to this day.” “My grandfather worked for the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club [back when it was still Royal] for over 40 years. He started out as a riding boy and went on to [become] an assistant trainer.” But that was as far as his... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2121299/steamis-founder-simon-wong-horse-racing-nasa-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2121299/steamis-founder-simon-wong-horse-racing-nasa-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Nov 2017 00:30:00 +0000 Robert de Haer has an eye for the extraordinary. The Dutch gemmologist and avid sailor began his career as a jeweller at some of the Netherlands’ most distinguished jewellery houses. Now regional commercial director of diamonds and jewellery for G4 Securities (G4S), he is tasked with the security of high-value gemstones across Asia. He is usually on the move – whether flying to Dubai, Bangkok or Singapore, or sailing one of his yachts. All this motion has contributed to a keen awareness of the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/2121066/gemmologist-robert-de-haers-favourite-watches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/2121066/gemmologist-robert-de-haers-favourite-watches?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Nov 2017 07:44:01 +0000 Hong Kong-bred Maxine Ryan is the co-founder and COO of the world’s first cash-in, cash-out blockchain remittance platform, Bitspark. The company was founded in 2014 and has already received international recognition. “My co-founder and I were just exploring the idea of what bitcoin was,” Ryan, 24, says. “I don’t know what it was about the idea, but it was exactly what I was looking for.” She was so convinced that she dropped out of her degree in international relations about six months before... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120698/how-maxine-ryan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120698/how-maxine-ryan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Nov 2017 01:30:45 +0000 Lee Hill-choi Lee Hill-choi Casetify has taken Hong Kong and the world by storm since its establishment in 2011. The company has grown into one of the three biggest tech accessory brands in the world in that time, taking CEO and co-founder Wesley Ng and many others by surprise with the rapid rate at which this feat was achieved. ​ It all started innocently enough. As a designer, Ng was hooked on Instagram and quickly realised there was a niche for social design services. He was the first to tap into this market and the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2120675/how-casetify-founder-wesley-ng-taps-millennial-trends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2120675/how-casetify-founder-wesley-ng-taps-millennial-trends?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Nov 2017 05:45:00 +0000 It took several jobs for Arthur Law to figure out what he wanted to dedicate his career to. A partner and co-founder of Vectr Ventures, a private equity firm based in Hong Kong, Law started out in corporate sales in the United States, working for a large listed company selling to small- and medium-sized businesses. He returned to Hong Kong at one stage and joined the family business, in property development and dealing largely with Chinese business. Despite the steadiness of the role, he... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120668/arthur-law-has-learnt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2120668/arthur-law-has-learnt?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Nov 2017 05:15:00 +0000 After eight years remaining anonymous on one of the most successful car shows on television, Ben Collins – better known as the Stig on Channel 4’s Top Gear – took a big leap into the unknown by leaving the show. He says it was an incredible opportunity. It meant racing at Le Mans again in a 360km/h prototype and focusing on his own TV career. Collins has also been a writer since leaving college and wrote a book, The Man in the White Suit, about his time on Top Gear and other adrenaline-fuelled... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/icons-and-influencers/article/2120246/life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/icons-and-influencers/article/2120246/life?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Nov 2017 02:01:36 +0000 The first woman to achieve the status as a beer sommelier in Asia, Belle Leung, is restless and always on the lookout for challenges. Whether it was in her banking role, working in a private kitchen, or in her present position in fintech and co-founding HK Brewcraft, it is her ability to get things done that sets her apart. Leung feels honoured to be the region’s first beer sommelier, a title awarded by the US-based Beer Judge Certification Program. She has judged beers in Shanghai, Taiwan,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2119817/why-asias-first-beer-sommelier-belle-leung-ditched?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2119817/why-asias-first-beer-sommelier-belle-leung-ditched?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2017 08:14:58 +0000 Motorcycles have long been all about individuality and independence – from the cheap motor scooters packing the streets of Vietnam, the heavy highway cruisers of the United States, temperamental sexy beasts from Italy, transcontinental powerhouses of the Germans, to all of the above, and more, from the Japanese makes. Two wheels allowed freedom, and the demand fuelled growth. But over time, everything became mass-produced and ended up looking the same, rather than individually built. Some of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/special-reports/topics/autos/article/2119667/global-custom-motorcycle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/special-reports/topics/autos/article/2119667/global-custom-motorcycle?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2017 08:43:54 +0000 Junny Lee, founder and managing director of The Work Project, one of the region’s recent co-working space brands, is no stranger to success. Born into an established business family, he has been a real estate investor over the past decade in Asia and the United States. The Work Project has opened locations in Hong Kong and Singapore in the past year, and garnered the Golden A’ Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2017. Beyond smart interior design that rivals luxury hotels, he... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2119164/work-projects-junny?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2119164/work-projects-junny?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Nov 2017 02:01:56 +0000 This article was originally published in XXIVOne of the planet’s most recognisable chefs, Nobu Matsuhisa, made his name with his version of Nikkei cuisine – a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian ingredients – after he left Japan and lived in the South American country while in his 20s. The Japanese chef has not stopped travelling since then, with more than 35 restaurants and 12 hotels. “I spend 10 months a year travelling and we have new projects with our hotels and new projects with our... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/special-reports/topics/icons-and-influencers/article/2119055/why-nobu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/special-reports/topics/icons-and-influencers/article/2119055/why-nobu?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Nov 2017 02:30:45 +0000 Maggie Henriquez is accustomed to thinking ahead. The CEO of Krug is casting her mind eight years into the future, to the year 2025. “The grapes we harvest from our vineyards this year will be bottled in 2018 and will start going into the market around the end of 2025, or the beginning of 2026,” she says. Unlike red and white wines, Champagnes are created from blends of vintages. Krug is particularly known for its Grande Cuvée, which consists of a meticulously crafted blend of more than 120... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/luxury-ceos/article/2118899/how-ceo-maggie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/luxury-ceos/article/2118899/how-ceo-maggie?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Nov 2017 04:41:39 +0000 After six years of studying architecture, Tokyo-based chief designer Oki Sato of nendo workshop had little idea of what he wanted to do after graduation. It wasn’t until 2002, when he went on a trip to Milan and encountered the liberal sense of design around the city, that his excitement was stirred. On that trip, nendo was born. Sato decided that he would return to the Italian city the following year – but not as a visitor; as a designer. Since the studio’s inception, Sato’s designs have taken... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2118868/japanese-designer-oki?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2118868/japanese-designer-oki?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Nov 2017 03:30:00 +0000 Daniel Wu is having the time of his life. The 43-year-old California-born actor, who made his name in Hong Kong cinema, is now poised to establish himself as a Hollywood star. His upcoming action-adventure film, Tomb Raider, co-starring Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander, is scheduled to show next year, while Into the Badlands – AMC’s action-packed fantasy thriller, which he co-produced and starred as the lead character Sunny, has impressed critics and audiences, leading to an agreement to shoot a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2118704/how-tomb-raider-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/special-reports/topics/xxiv-2017/article/2118704/how-tomb-raider-star?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Nov 2017 03:15:15 +0000